Fortuño: Romney would be good for PR

Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuño sought Tuesday to make the case that Mitt Romney in the White House would be beneficial to the island.

“I’m convinced that Puerto Rico needs help equal to the states so our economies can grow,” Fortuño said. “We have been able to close the gap with states, but we need help from Washington and that will come with Romney as president.”

Fortuño, a rising star in the national Republican Party and head of the island’s statehood New Progressive Party, will give a prime-time speech at the GOP convention in Tampa on Wednesday night. The governor’s speech on Wednesday will focus on jobs.

“For us it’s all about job creation,” Fortuño said. He said that for U.S. Hispanics it is all about the economy and the need to improve the jobs numbers.

He endorsed Romney during the Republican presidential primary back in February, citing the former Massachusetts governor’s pledge to push statehood for Puerto Rico.

“Romney is committed to our push for equality, to statehood for Puerto Rico,” Fortuño said Tuesday. “He is committed to providing the leadership lacking in Washington.”

The Puerto Rico governor said the Republican Party platform includes aid for single mothers, veterans, the elderly and strong educational planks.

Fortuño is seeking a second term as governor. His chief rival, Popular Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate Alejandro García Padilla, is a national Democrat who backs President Barack Obama’s bid for a second term.

García Padilla and other PDP leaders have blasted Fortuño for his support of Romney, pointing mostly to the billions in federal funding Puerto Rico stands to lose if Republicans make good on their pledge to overturn Obama’s national health reform.

Fortuño’s running mate, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, is a national Democrat who has stumped for Obama in Florida.

Residents of Puerto Rico, while American citizens, can’t vote for president because the island isn’t a state.